Night Noise Team – Slow Release

Night Noise Team launch Slow Release with real gusto, singer Sean Ormsby promising that they’ve “got something for you” on opener The Gift. Thirty-six minutes later and you may well be looking for the receipt, as the Edinburgh quartet try a variety of styles but fail to fully nail any of them. All Brutal Common Sense stands out thanks to its comparatively light touch, refreshing amidst the portentousness of Burning or the over-eager Franz-lifting You Won. But it can’t heave Slow Release out of the doldrums alone; elsewhere, Doors Are Closed sews a decent chorus to a dog’s dinner of a verse; early single Menolick proves it hasn’t aged well; while Drifting is as aimless as its title suggests. Most worryingly, a fifty-three second, stripped-down reprise of 2008’s Rideau constitutes one of the album's few remaining highlights, suggesting that, to these ears, Night Noise Team are trending in the wrong direction. [Chris Buckle]